Two birthday banquets and one funeral
The Crown Princess' birthday was neither big nor small in the palace; it was just a matter of following established rules. Of course, this established rule only applied to her, as she was the one who set the rules.
The concubines hesitated to enter Yuqing Palace, but they brought a few gifts, neither heavy nor heavy. Their peers became excited, with the sisters-in-law filling the room. Even the usually quiet sisters-in-law expressed their feelings. As the elder, the Crown Princess took a look at the children of Kangxi's legion of children.
The oldest of the boys were the two illegitimate sons of the Crown Prince, and the younger ones were all of similar age and not very capable, so they all came over and kowtowed. Because the women wanted to drink more, and Shujia's main room was still a gathering of women, they were taken away.
The girls were bustling with activity. The eldest prince's daughter was now twelve (in nominal terms), already wearing clogs and her hair was tied up like a young girl. Below her were her three younger sisters, whose ages were in arithmetic progression. The youngest was eight and had just started growing her hair.
Shujia pulled them in front of her and looked them over. Even though they were daughters of older families, she still found them quite rare. "Look at my sister-in-law. She's so capable. She's educated her daughters like flowers. I'm jealous of them. My sister-in-law is so lucky to have both sons and daughters."
People are like this, they are greedy for things when there is nothing. If you ask her to have a few daughters, she will definitely think about having a son. And vice versa.
The eldest concubine was now content with having a son. The thought of having several daughters no longer irritated her. On the contrary, she was now the most prolific of the princes' wives. She smiled and said, "What's there to be envious of? If the Crown Princess wanted to, she would have one sooner or later."
A few years earlier, before either of them had a son, the situation would have been a source of mutual provocation, but now it was a harmonious and harmonious one. Shujia, delighted, generously gave a complete set of headgear to the eldest princess, who had already grown her hair and begun to dress up: "Take it and play with it. Lulu, bring me those boxes in the drawer." She retrieved some little girls' ornaments, not a complete set, and gave one to each of the other three princesses.
The eldest wife smiled and said, "How can I accept this? I brought them here to celebrate your birthday, and instead they took away the gifts." She then told her daughters to "thank the Crown Princess for the reward." Then she sent her daughters off with the Fifth Princess and the others, telling them not to listen to married women's conversations, as it would be unpleasant if they touched on topics inappropriate for young girls.
I said goodbye to my aunt and went to find my aunt.
The Third Lady watched them walk away and said, "So what if the eldest sister-in-law spared it? I would like to take something back with me, but unfortunately I don't have a daughter. I was chatting with the Fourth Sister-in-law yesterday, and we both wanted a daughter." She praised the First Lady a little, and then dragged the Fourth Lady into the water.
The Fourth Lady was a quiet listener, a masterful one. She had a chatty husband, and at first, she found it annoying and wanted to argue with him, but eventually, she grew tired of just listening to him. She listened to so much talk that she didn't even want to talk anymore. The Fourth Lady wasn't good at small talk, except when she had to. But her strengths were evident—her patience and willingness to listen. When women nag, they want someone to listen, and the Third Lady felt the same way, which is why she had a good relationship with the Fourth Lady.
The Fourth Lady did not smile until the Third Lady brought her into the conversation circle, "That's right," after a pause, "I'm better off, I have our princess, I can play with her in my free time. But the Third Sister-in-law is so good, she comes to me and snatches my daughter whenever she has the chance." The 'our princess' she was talking about was actually the second daughter of Yinzhen's concubine Li.
The conversation started to go off topic, and the post went off topic. From daughters, to concubines, and then to how to treat children who were not one's own.
The first wife had no such concerns. All of Yinzhi's children to date were born to her, and although he had concubines, they were all kept in check. You can't say it was all because of the first wife's cunning tactics, or that Yinzhi was simply desperate for a legitimate son. It seems that Yinzhi and the first wife still had a lot of genuine affection.
The eldest wife was completely at ease, comforting her brothers and sisters-in-law: "A concubine's child is still our child, right? If we raise him well, he will be just like our own child. He is my blood, right?"
Shujia couldn't help but feel a bit jealous, and so did the other naive people present. Aside from the First and Eighth Concubines, no one present wasn't raising children for someone else. As for the Eighth Concubine, it was because... Yinsi hadn't had any children with anyone else. It would be better to have a bastard son; at least the Eighth Concubine wouldn't be under as much pressure.
But the Eighth Lady didn't think so. She was determined to give birth to a son, which would make her look and feel good. Unfortunately, the couple tried for almost a year, but to no avail. Even after more than two hundred years, this situation deserves serious attention.
"I must have a child myself, only then will I be worthy of myself and my ancestors." The Eighth Lady said this casually, and before the First Lady could reply, she looked at the Seventh Lady next door and said, "Oh, my! I've never seen these bracelets, Seventh Lady, before. The color is so pure."
The Seventh Lady leaned towards the Eighth Lady, stretched out her wrist and showed it to her: "I found it the other day. Our master bought it for me during the New Year, but I didn't wear it then. Today I thought it was just right, so I brought it here."
Gao Sanxie came in and asked, "Master, it's time to start the feast."
The feast began, and the guests and hosts took their seats. Qing imperial cuisine, standard, standardized, and prepared in large kitchens, had a distinct characteristic: it looked good, but tasted poorly. It was greasy and shiny, but now that summer had arrived, it was a bit greasy.
Look, someone finally expressed their resistance clearly. The Seventh Lady was so disgusted by the food that she wanted to vomit, and she expressed it bravely.
There were many experienced people present, and they understood what was going on as soon as they saw her expression. The eldest wife asked, "What's wrong?" She winked at Shujia, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Shujia said, "Why don't we move for now? Let's call an imperial physician to take a look. Xiu'er, help the Seventh Lady to rest on the couch in my inner room."
The Seventh Lady was a mixture of disbelief and relief. She had already suspected her period hadn't arrived, but she was also afraid it might not be the right time, and her excitement would be in vain. Seventh Prince Yinyou's concubine, Nara, had already given birth to a son and two daughters, so she was naturally anxious. But she didn't want to bluff. Her pulse had been weak at first, and she hadn't felt it when she'd checked it the last time. She was thankful she hadn't shouted it out.
Is this true? If not, why didn't my period come? If so, why didn't I feel my pulse?
When the Seventh Lady was wavering in her mood, the imperial physician arrived and said seriously and affirmatively that she was pregnant.
Shujia instantly saw the expression on the Seventh Lady's face change from fear and worry to great joy! It was as if a beam of sunshine suddenly hit her face, and her smile was also filled with the breath of sunshine.
Because they were in Yuqing Palace, Shujia had to come forward: "Zhao Guoshi, take the first-class seal to thank the imperial physician. Sister-in-law, I can't keep you here any longer. You have to go back to your fifth residence and have a good rest. As for announcing the good news, you should send someone to find his seventh uncle yourself~" Several older ladies smiled knowingly after hearing what she said.
She wanted to laugh but pursed her lips. The Seventh Lady was a little timid now: "I never thought of it again."
"What's so unexpected?" The Third Lady said to her angrily.
On the other side, Shujia sent someone to personally select two steady eunuchs and two palace maids to escort the Seventh Lady home together with the people brought by the Seventh Lady.
With all the hustle and bustle, this birthday became even more lively.
The Seventh Lady was carried home by her subordinates like a star, and her mood along the way was a mixture of pride and uncertainty. Pride was that after years of anticipation, the child had finally arrived. Uncertainty was that she didn't know whether it was a boy or a girl.
Leaving her sister-in-law and younger sister-in-law in Yuqing Palace, it was Eighth Lady who spoke first. Although Seventh Lady's pregnancy made her feel a little uncomfortable, and she had almost been unable to tear her eyes away when she looked at Seventh Lady's belly just now, she was forcing herself not to show weakness. "Even though Seventh Lady has gone, we should still have a couple of drinks. First, it's Second Lady's birthday, and second, we should also be happy for Seventh Lady."
It was rare for her to speak so fluently, without a hint of reluctance. Shujia said, "After all this hustle and bustle, the dishes are cold. Mr. Zhao, tell them to reorganize the table."
The Crown Princess's words were indeed effective. Hot soup and hot dishes were served, and the wine was refilled. The group of people who had no worries were in a good mood. They didn't care that the Seventh Lady's happiness would make their own misfortune more apparent. They were actually happy for the Seventh Lady.
The Fifth Lady was putting on a forced smile. She and the Seventh Lady had married in the same year and were in a similar situation. Now that the Seventh Lady was pregnant, she still hadn't believed it. She couldn't help but glance at her neighbor, the Eighth Lady, and sigh. People are different. She might not believe it either, but she was newlywed, so there was no rush! What about herself? She'd been married for years, already a ready-made mother, raising someone else's child!
But she still had to continue talking about the next topic. She could be a wallflower on other topics, but not on this one - they had already talked about the issue of everyone's gathering after the separation.
Perhaps provoked, the Eighth Lady began to get lively. "Let's each report where we live and write down everyone's birthdays throughout the year. For example, this month is the Crown Princess' birthday. When we come to the palace, we won't have to arrange extra entertainment and feasts. It would be best if we could chat together from time to time so we don't become strangers."
This was a good idea, and Shujia was happy to join in the fun. "Since that's the case, why not write it down?" She ordered pen and paper. "I won't ask anything else, but when you get together, you must ask me to come along. It's just right that I want to go out for a walk."
This birthday party was a great success for both the host and the guests. Everyone agreed that since they had just moved into a new house and needed to clean up, they would invite the Crown Princess to come and play once the cleanup was done.
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Then there were a lot of happy events.
First, the people who had toured the south returned, each welcoming their husbands with joy. Yinyou had learned of his wife's pregnancy while away, and while it wasn't new, the fact that she was a legitimate child added a touch of solemnity. And Zhang Jia, who had been ill for a long time, saw her condition improve thanks to Kangxi's return and the presence of his son Yinxiang, another piece of good news.
Another good news was that the auspicious day Kangxi had chosen in advance for moving had arrived, and all the princes and those with titles had moved into their new homes together! If they didn't move soon, the emperor would have to go to the frontier again and take his son with him, which would delay things again.
The date of the move was set after Yinreng's birthday, which was also Kangxi's selfish desire. He wanted his sons to have a chance to strengthen their brotherhood and not become estranged from each other because they no longer lived together. They still had to cooperate in the future.
Kangxi's idea was a good one, but his sons weren't entirely impressed. Many important Chinese affairs aren't settled at the negotiation table, but rather at banquets. But... the affection between these guys wasn't one of them.
Yinreng's birthday was a frustrating day for him. He had to pay respect to his mother's memorial tablet before celebrating his birthday, as it was the anniversary of his mother's death. The thought of this completely destroyed any sense of celebrating his birthday. He also had to force himself to smile and greet people—how hard it was! His brothers weren't feeling well either; they were about to move, and they were all preoccupied with their new home. How could they be in the mood to smile?
Yinzhi was debating whether to dedicate the new temple after the move, or wait a couple of days to choose an auspicious day. Yinreng had already come down to inspect the site. He stood up absentmindedly and said, "Congratulations." How could Yinreng not see that he was distracted? He secretly resented, "You idiot, you're acting so arrogant! Congratulations, what do you want to congratulate me for?"
With a forced smile, he said, "Brother, you've established your own residence. I should congratulate you. Congratulations on moving into your new home."
Yinzhi already had a slight prejudice against Yinreng. Even if Yinreng smiled like a flower, Yinzhi would say: "Plastic, fake flower! And it's shaped like a dog's tail!" At this moment, Yinreng's smile was very ugly, and Yinzhi was not polite and criticized in his heart: "Little bastard, are you cursing me to get out? I will definitely come back!" (Huh? Gray Wolf?)
After the two hypocritical individuals had bonded, Yinreng spoke to his third brother. Yinzhi had been thinking: There's a study in the new mansion, and a sanctuary. Where should I put all my books? Where should I put Chen Menglei, the Khan's father? Should I renovate the garden? My eldest brother built a temple. Should I follow suit?
When Yinzhi and Yinreng were talking, he finally snapped his attention back to his original form. He now lifted his wine cup and offered a rather respectable birthday greeting: "I, your humble servant, wish the Crown Prince a happy birthday every year." What nonsense! Who doesn't celebrate their birthday every year? Even if there's no banquet, it's still a birthday, and you'll be one year older, right?
Yinreng felt a little better, as it felt like he was wishing someone a happy birthday.
The younger brothers who followed were all very well-behaved. Due to their age, it was not appropriate to say things like "longevity" or "birthday congratulations", but they could say things like "birthday congratulations". Even if they said something slightly inappropriate, it would not make the host family hate them more than Yinzhi did, so everyone was safe.
So, after the toast, the Fourth Master relaxed and drifted off to a peaceful rest. "My neighbor is Old Eighth. Hmm, he's not a bad guy. I wonder if the Imperial Household Department has decorated my study according to my specifications? The bookshelves must be rosewood, and there must be orchids in the room... Well, I can now oversee the construction of the Fifth Princess's Mansion." (Author's note: After this, the Fourth Master was delighted and, with a conscientious attitude, visited the construction site every day.)
The Fifth Prince is always calm, but right now he's a little agitated. He's moving out! Oh, my Ninth Brother was pestering me to come visit him yesterday. He's a bit restless, and Mother told me to keep an eye on him. But Mother is very indulgent towards him, and I guess she'll plead for him. So how am I supposed to ask Khan Ama for permission? And how am I supposed to keep him from wandering off?
His eyes flew to his ninth brother, and after glancing at Yinzhen, he felt a bit guilty and withdrew his gaze. No, he kept glancing. His ninth brother didn't even notice that he was worried about him. He was just circling around his eighth brother.
How could Yinzhen be such a fool? Even if he preferred hanging out with his eight-brother, he couldn't ignore his biological brother, at least on the surface. For example, if you wanted to go out of the palace to play, you couldn't argue with the elders about going to your half-brother's place while ignoring your half-brother, who also had a good temper, was a kind person, and treated you well.
The Ninth Prince played a trick, pretending to go to his Fifth Brother's place. Once he left, it was all up to the Master. He went to his Fifth Brother's place for a while, then said he missed his Eighth Brother...
Yin'er's wishful thinking led him to become increasingly close to his eighth brother. Yin'e, who sat next to him, felt a little uneasy. He also wanted to leave the palace to see what was going on. But the only place he could go was with his eighth brother, and it seemed like the eighth and ninth brothers were closer, right? Fourteenth Prince was equally hesitant. He also wanted to leave, but faced a similar dilemma as Yin'er: he had an older brother outside, but he wasn't particularly close to his biological brother...
Ever since he could remember, Yinzhen knew that he and his fourth brother were brothers from the same mother, but his fourth brother had a very polite relationship with his mother. If his fourth sister-in-law came along to visit his mother, you would definitely think that she was his mother's biological daughter and his fourth brother was her son-in-law!
And his fourth brother treated him badly! He always had a stern face: "How can you be so lazy?", "Have you finished writing?", "Don't think that you don't have to work hard just because you are talented." And so on and so forth! So annoying!
What's even more annoying is that Fourth Brother actually teaches Thirteenth Brother math and doesn't teach himself! Who is your real brother?! (Fourteenth kid, it was your father's idea to teach your Thirteenth Brother math. You're blaming the wrong person!)
The Fourteenth Prince looked at the Thirteenth Prince, who inexplicably got along well with his Fourth Prince, with a bit of resentment. He noticed that Thirteenth Prince was scowling. He stretched out his arm and poked Yinxiang: "Thirteenth Prince, what's wrong with you?"
"Oh, I didn't sleep well last night." In fact, his mother's illness relapsed yesterday, and Classmate Thirteen was very sad, but at the prince's birthday party, he restrained the urge to tell bad news.
"Hey, they're moving out. When are we going to tell Khan Ama to go visit my brothers and see their place? We can also see some local customs and people along the way?"
"Ah? Oh, my brothers haven't moved yet. Let's wait until they do." Shen Feitian replied absentmindedly, his mind still spinning. What did the imperial physician mean today? Hateful! I'm too young and haven't read enough to understand anything. But the imperial physician doesn't look well. No, I have to sneak back to check.
"Fourteenth brother, I have to go see my mother."
"Huh?"
Yinxiang took advantage of the opportunity and approached Yinreng: "Prince."
"Old Thirteen? What's wrong?" Yinreng didn't drink too much and his mind was still clear. He seemed to have seen Baotai from the Bowang family just now and was about to say hello to him and express his concern for Fuquan's health.
"My dear brother, do you want to go back first?"
What happened? Yinreng wasn't particularly adept at socializing like this; he had no practice! The imperial palace was a place where pretentiousness reigned supreme. Even banquets had procedures: who sat where, who toasted first, when the music would start, and who ate what. When the prince wasn't worried, he just followed the script. Now that he wanted to perform, he had to act it out. But he'd missed classes in that area! Years.
"Is the food not to your liking?" the prince asked for something to say.
As expected, no one took his mother's illness seriously, Yinxiang thought gloomily.
Yinreng's expression grew serious. This kid's expression was wrong, so he pulled Yinxiang to a quiet corner and said, "I'm busy today, I can't leave. If you have any objections, just tell me and ask them to change it." He dared to say this, which also showed that he didn't pay much attention to this younger brother. If it were someone else, he would have figured it out long ago. For Yinreng to be able to do this, it was already worthy of praise. At least he didn't ignore his thirteenth brother.
Yinxiang was born in the 25th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, and was almost thirteen. He wasn't a child anymore, but his life wasn't too complicated. The imperial family wasn't a chaotic mess of nine contenders for the throne. After hesitating for a moment, he couldn't help but say with a worried, slightly complaining tone, "My mother's condition relapsed yesterday. I'm a little worried, so I want to go over and see her."
Yinreng said casually, "Okay. You stand there for a moment, I'll have them take you there."
"Your Highness, please go and get busy over there. You are the birthday boy, and they must be getting anxious if they can't see you right now."
Yinreng still called Jia Yingxuan over and said, "Send the Thirteenth Master to the Consort's mother. Come back and tell the Crown Princess."
Yinxiang missed his mother, so he did not refuse and hurriedly went out with Jia Yingxuan.
It was the Crown Prince's birthday, so the Crown Princess didn't have to attend any social events. Shujia was currently dining with her sons. After paying their respects to Yinreng, the four brothers came to the back and were now enjoying their meal. Li Jiashi and Li Jiashi had been standing to serve, but after they had finished serving the dishes, they were told to sit down: "The meaning is clear. If you stand, they won't enjoy the meal."
They all sat down to eat. The second concubine didn't dare sit down and ate very carefully. During this time, the second fat classmate woke up crying in the next room. The wet nurse reported: "He changed into clean clothes and has been coaxed into a good mood."
He was peeing while others were eating, and it seemed like he couldn't eat his meal anymore.
At this time, Jia Yingxuan came back and started to murmur with the Crown Princess. Li Jiashi's ears jumped, and she could only hear a fragmented voice: "Your servant... the Crown Prince... the Thirteenth Master... that one... is... not well..."
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Zhang Jia's condition worsened, and despite the best efforts of the imperial physicians and Yinxiang's constant care, it was all in vain. While it's said that a long-term patient's bedside is unlovable, Yinxiang proved otherwise. He continued to attend to his mother during the day and afterward, he continued to teach. After a month, seeing Zhang Jia's condition showing no improvement, he asked Fahai for leave and explained the situation to Emperor Kangxi.
Kangxi advocated this spirit. Seeing that Yinxiang had to attend classes and take care of the sick, and had lost a lot of weight, if he could only choose one of the two, Kangxi would rather his son be a filial son, so he agreed.
But as Zhang Jia's illness dragged on, Kangxi began to worry about his thirteenth son's education. It had been a month since her relapse, with no improvement or improvement. How much longer would this last? If she didn't get better, would Yinxiang have to drop out of school? He had seen his son's filial piety, and as a responsible father, he couldn't let him drop out.
"You are not an imperial physician, so just do your best. Come back to study and go after class every day." It's not a good idea to drag it on for months!
Yinxiang couldn't persuade Kangxi. After two rounds of protest, he noticed that Kangxi's face was not good, and his brows were furrowed. His second brother, who had previously not paid much attention to his brothers, couldn't help but come to persuade him: "Listen to Khan Ama, your academic performance will make your mother feel relieved. She will feel relieved, and her illness will recover faster."
On the other side, his fourth brother started making eye contact, like a chicken being slaughtered and its neck cut. The Crown Prince didn't move, so Yinzhen couldn't make any move. The Crown Prince started talking, and Yinzhen took advantage of any opportunity to give hints. Yinxiang's thin arms finally gave way to Kangxi's thighs: "My son obeys your order."
Kangxi looked at him several more times before letting his sons disperse. After leaving the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Yinreng said, "Thirteenth brother, you've fallen behind in your studies. It's for a reason, but it's nothing serious. It's getting late now, so go see your mother and attend classes tomorrow on time—" He lowered his voice, "Today, the Governor of the Rivers, Yu Chenglong, reported that the Genglou in Shaobo and Jiuli in Gaoyou were breached by water. Khan Ama has repeatedly instructed Yu Chenglong to dredge the Mangdao and Renzi rivers as quickly as possible, and now... it's true... the old man is having a hard time. Even if you have other ideas, you should wait until this period has passed."
The Huai and Yang rivers are flooded, and the land of fish and rice is close to the tax-paying areas of the world! Yinzhen and Yinxiang's faces turned pale. Yinxiang's face turned pale and he nodded obediently: "I understand."
With her son not around, Zhang Jia held on for a few more days and finally passed away on July 25, the 38th year of the Kangxi reign, leaving behind one underage son and two daughters.
Yinxiang was in class at the time and was stunned when he heard the news. He slowly bowed to Fahai and floated out of the classroom as if in slow motion. Then he ran as fast as he could to Zhang Jia's bedroom and took his mother's hand, which was still warm.
Yinxiang was immediately overjoyed and turned to scold the palace maids and eunuchs: "If you curse my mother again, I will arrest you and beat you to death!" He took Zhang Jia's hand and placed it on his cheek, "It's still warm! Mother, mother, mother, I am Yinxiang. Are you asleep? Mother... I won't disturb you. Call me when you wake up."
Zhang Jiashi died, and this was the time when the importance of formal canonization became apparent. No matter how glorious you were when you were alive, as long as you didn't get a marriage certificate, even if you were treated like a concubine, you couldn't be treated like a concubine when you died, unless there was a special decree.
The new Minister of Internal Affairs was quite thoughtful. He knew that Zhang Jiashi had a son who was quite favored by the emperor. While dragging his hands to prepare things and ordering more ice to be brought in, as the body would be difficult to store in the hot summer, he also submitted a memorial to Kangxi asking: "What rank should she be buried with? If you don't say anything, we will have to bury her randomly! Don't you think that the Thirteenth Prince will bear a grudge against me?"
Kangxi was grappling with the floods! Because of the floods, he had to repair dikes, hold officials accountable, and listen to the court officials wrangling. Zhangjiashi's funeral waited and waited, and despite the Ministry of Internal Affairs' advance petition, it still hadn't received approval. Yinxiang's hat was covered with white cloth, the two princesses had their hair cut, and the maids who had served Zhangjiashi had their hair cut as well. The prince's family, who lived in the palace, had solemnly changed into plain clothes and prepared to style their hair, but the formal funeral ceremony was in vain.
Yuqing Palace was very depressed. Because of his status as a crown prince, a woman without the title of his father's concubine... couldn't mourn in a more formal way. Yinxiang was granted leave this time. He stood by the coffin and cried heartbrokenly. He also had to take care of his two younger sisters: "You are still young, and you are girls. It's my turn to watch over you at night. Go and have some hot soup."
It wasn't until the seventh day, the second day of the intercalary seventh month, that Kangxi finally found time to write, "Concubine Zhangjia was kind and gentle, virtuous, and a good mother. She served the palace for a long time, always respectful and prudent. Now she has passed away due to illness. I am deeply saddened. Her posthumous title is Minfei." Only after her body had cooled completely did he receive the appointment notice and the decree for her burial according to the custom.
Zhang Jiashi could now be called Consort Min, officially a member of the harem's main harem, and her funeral would be more respectable. More importantly, with the title of concubine mother, everyone had a basis to follow and could determine what etiquette they were expected to observe.
Those living outside the palace should mourn and offer condolences. Those living within the palace should offer comfort and work. Concubine Min's greatest legacy was her three children. With Yinxiang still unmarried and the two princesses still young, who would take care of them? This is a truly important question.
Concubine Tong actually wanted to take over. Since she had no children of her own, why not raise someone else's? Hadn't her sister done the same? The fourth child's mother was still alive, and she'd taken good care of him. Thirteenth's mother was dead. But Kangxi wouldn't say anything. Kangxi probably thought, Yinxiang was fourteen years old (in lunar years), and had already moved out of the Zhaoxiang Residence. Was he really in need of a mother now?
Moreover, as soon as his mother died, he was placed directly with Zhaoxiang to live for two years. Once the mourning period was over, he was assigned to a concubine and moved out. Therefore, Kangxi did not give any instructions on who to hand over Yinxiang to.
Yinxiang seemed to have suddenly come to his senses these days. His usual playful nature with the Fourteenth Prince had completely vanished, replaced by a more sensible personality. He comforted his sister, entertained the brothers who came to pay their respects, and even managed to stay alert to deal with his father, the Khan. Kangxi admired Yinxiang greatly; he was filial and sensible. What a wonderful son! Whenever he admired someone, he would bring them over to admire and visit them.
Kangxi's wanderings exhausted the other wives who came over. After all, they were concubines, from the Crown Princess down, and they all came to see him. But Kangxi was the father-in-law, so they had to avoid him. After two visits, Kangxi took Yinxiang over to chat, leaving the room for the women.
Shujia had the advantage of location and had come here before Concubine Yu Min was officially posthumously honored. She added a nickname: The concubine has no children or wives, so I am here to fill the gap.
It wasn't like a commoner was burying her mother-in-law, so a concubine of the imperial family wouldn't have to do that. But it was a gesture of kindness, and a favor had to be done. Kangxi had no empress, no one to make decisions, and it was impossible for the concubines to form a funeral committee to handle Zhang Jia's funeral. The emperor was also busy, and the empress dowager had power, but no decision-making power.
All the Crown Princess had to do was go to the Empress Dowager and say, "Thirteenth Brother and my two sisters are still young." She would make the three siblings sound as pitiful as possible, and the Empress Dowager would immediately relent and say, "Go and have a look."
The Crown Princess didn't have many things to do. Her main job was to make sure Concubine Min's place was in order, and not to let down her guard just because the three young masters were young. As soon as the Crown Princess arrived, even those who had been lazy didn't dare to slack off anymore.
Everything is going on in an orderly manner.
Until an incident happened.
Concubine Min was finally buried, and everyone could finally rest in peace. At the end of the intercalary seventh month, Emperor Kangxi was about to lead a large group of troops out of the border. Yinxiang was also on the list, and Kangxi meant to give him some relief. The prince... continued to stay behind miserably. This time, he no longer had the energy to act cute, so he could only tell Kangxi: "Pay attention to your diet, and go and return early."
Kangxi smiled and said, "I don't need to worry about that. You should also pay attention to your health while you are in Beijing." The prince is becoming more and more sensible. He is not good at speaking, but he does a good job.
Touching Yinreng's scalp covered with stubble, Shujia was a little stunned!
Back then, one of her biggest complaints was the thin braid on her bald head. Now, thicker braids are slowly becoming popular, but bald heads remain. Manchu men only shave their heads when a close relative passes away, leaving them long. On other days, their hair would rival the brightness of a light bulb.
Shujia hadn't been through many funerals since she came here, nor had she encountered anyone who specifically required the men around her to not shave their heads as a sign of mourning. The death of the Empress Dowager was a rare occasion, but that had happened a long time ago. The men around her were her father and brothers, so they didn't see each other often. It was December, and everyone wore a hat.
Now that I've met her again, I can't help but be surprised... Why does she find Yinreng, with his buzz cut, so strange? People are truly creatures of habit! Do I still remember how I felt back then? How much of that initial temper still remains? People are truly fickle. So, what should I do now? How should I do it? How long have I been immersed in this palace strife? Am I... still myself? What kind of person do I want to be?
It was the shaved head that caused the Crown Princess to suddenly transform into a philosopher, causing a big trouble!
The emperor is leaving, and everyone wants to get together before he leaves.
Especially since the Crown Prince stayed behind, he had to say goodbye to his brothers in private, right? This farewell caused trouble!
Kangxi had a court rule that even in the coldest days of winter, one must dress respectfully. Please note that this is the intercalary seventh month, and even though it's summer, it's still very hot. Otherwise, there's no need to go out to escape the heat. It should be noted that this is a party, and the prince has a hat rack.
Yinreng made thoughtful arrangements: "Wipe your sweat off everyone." Everyone took off their hats. It must be said that their hair had grown much longer and it was indeed hot!
Then, time stood still. Everyone's eyes focused on Prince Cheng's head.
Yinzhi’s head... it was smooth and shiny, and it was so dazzling among a row of a dozen prickly chestnuts!
Everyone: ...
Yinzhi was stunned: "What's wrong?"
Yinxiang's head suddenly buzzed. He looked at Yinzhi's head, then at the reference point - the crown prince's head. Regardless of the height difference, he rushed over and grabbed his third brother by the collar: "You!"
It hasn't even been a hundred days since Concubine Min died. They can't shave their heads within a hundred days! Even the Crown Prince obeyed out of courtesy; according to the rules, he had to observe mourning even less than his brothers. Just because you shaved your head, it means you don't respect my mother! Whose death doesn't require them to observe mourning? The concubines, the concubines... people like that.
Concubine Min was officially canonized as the main concubine!
What do you mean? Do you think my mother is unworthy? Everyone is gone, and you still want to humiliate her! You bastard! Yinxiang's eyes were red and his eyes were already wet. You are still acting like nothing happened. You are completely ignoring my mother's status!
For a junior high school student, with his mother's death, a young sister, and having to wait seven days for his mother's funeral to be carried out, and not being able to see his mother for the last time before her death, and his father not paying much attention to him... Under so much pressure, Yinxiang can still resist hitting Yinzhi in the face with his clenched fist. That shows how mature he is.
But... I can't hold it any longer.
Hearing Yinxiang's teeth clacking at close range, Yinzhi was a beat slow to realize: "This is serious! Oh, I shaved my head! How could I have forgotten his mother had just died?" Another half beat later, he realized: his mother had been posthumously honored, I... forgot!
He wanted to explain: "Well, it's been seven days since she died, and they're only granting her the title posthumously. At that time... I didn't pay attention to the decree." It's always been the stereotype that your mother wasn't the main position, so now isn't that what's happening? But looking at Yinxiang's red eyes, Yinzhi felt like a lump in his throat!
He had a slight stutter when he was a child, and it was back now. Although he was full of knowledge, when he was frightened, he stuttered and became temporarily mute.
Yinxiang had been staring at Yinzhi for a long time, and when he realized his brother was just staring at him without even explaining himself, he got even angrier. His face, forehead, ears, and neck all turned red with anger, like a cooked crab, with steam rising from his head.
It must be said that the princes at this time were still quite young and severely inexperienced. The eldest, Yinzhi, was less than thirty years old. In his twenty-plus years of life experience, he had never come across anyone as audacious as Yinzhi. (Yinzhi thought to himself: "Old Third, you're so brazenly blatantly accusing me of this! You're awesome!")
Not to mention the others, who, having been well-read by sages, even if they had a bit of a dark side, still had to put on a show. Everyone was stunned. Even a battle between two armies couldn't frighten them, but they were bewildered by the Third Prince (collective thought: Is he crazy?). Yinzhi's actions were truly unprecedented. Prince Cheng had successfully shocked his brothers and irritated Yinxiang.
Yinxiang's breathing became heavier and heavier, and his brothers seemed to be stunned and did not come out to stop the fight.
Yinzhen got closer to him and exclaimed, "Thirteenth brother!"
Yinzhi will hate you to death, Fourth Master!
Because Yinzhen's greeting was like an order to attack, the Thirteenth Master's fist finally kissed Prince Cheng's smooth-shaven cheek...
Bang!
The author has something to say: I seriously suspect that the third brother was punished after Yongzheng ascended the throne, partly because the fourth master wanted to vent his anger on his thirteenth brother.
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